— Boom!
The fierce gust of wind blew Malfoy and Pansy two directly away.
Long-term training experience allowed both of them to make perfect countermeasures, and they rolled over on the soft soil, before flashing behind the two sturdy cottonwood trees.
Deleon peeked out from behind the cottonwood tree, glanced quickly at the situation, and when he saw it, anger surged into his mind, making his gray eyes turn slightly red!
In just one encounter, his team had already lost three members, including Daphne. Now, apart from him, there were only Breyce, Nott, and the young Astoria left!
Whistle!
A blue light rapidly expanded in front of Draco's eyes. He quickly drew his head back, and the spell that whizzed past his bangs set fire to the ground with a loud explosion after burning some of his hair.
Before he could utter any words, he heard an urgent shout by his ear!
"It's not the brave team, but the people of Slytherin. They have five people, let Astoria withdraw first!"
Subsequently, the shrill howling could be heard continually!
"Romperton!"
Draco was almost overwhelmed by anger. He burst out from behind the cottonwood tree along with Pansy, who was being continuously cursed. What they saw only intensified Draco's surging rage!
Romperton seemed to know that he was not an easy opponent. He wielded the cold, gleaming silver sword and charged towards Brescia and Nott, his rapid and elusive movements making Draco secretly scared!
But it didn't matter much.
What infuriated him was that Cedric, the brave man, and the mentally ill girl from Ravenclaw were firing spells at Astoria!
"Disgraceful Gryffindor!"
Draco let out a loud roar, followed by Pansy charging forward.
Astoria had just noticed Daphne's fall into the pit. She immediately popped her head out to look into the hole.
Daphne had not fainted; she landed amidst a pile of soft plants.
But these plants had strange purple pods that started exploding and popping in a split second when touched, splattering juice that caused blisters to form on Daphne's face and exposed skin. It looked quite terrifying!
Daphne shielded her face with one arm while screaming in pain.
With a single glance, Astoria judged that her sister 'was hopeless'.
After a brief inner struggle of just a few milliseconds, Astoria decided to abandon saving her sister. Her fair and youthful face showed an unusual determination and anger.
Fortunately, Cedric's team had not listed her as a major threat; she was not on their first-round target list.
On a battlefield where life and death are decided in a second, her momentary confusion did not result in any harm.
She heard the shout from Narcissus Romperton, and as she turned around suddenly, her eyes had already caught sight of Cedric and Luffey raising their wands towards her.
Cedric's attack was well-executed, a spell that rapidly petrified.
Luffey pulled out her signature spell, a string of bizarre, colorful notes-like things shot out from her wand. She had seen this magic many times in PE class, and those notes would explode as soon as they made contact with something. Moreover, after being shot out, Luffey still retained some degree of control over them.
Astoria was surprised at her ability to stay calm and composed under such critical circumstances, without a trace of panic.
Astoria also drew out her most proficient spell to counteract.
As her wand was raised, the gust of wind stirred her soft golden hair, and her blue eyes flashed with determination.
Around her, the fallen leaves by her side were lifted by the magic, cutting through the air sharply and making a high-pitched whooshing sound!
The leaves transformed into tiny birds the size of sparrows in mid-air—a highly impressive act of Transfiguration that made Professor McGonagall's eyes sparkle with approval!
Many birds rotated into a horizontal whirlwind, blocking in front of Astoria.
Cedric's petrifying curse came first, wiping away a corner of the whirlwind like a rubber eraser, and then the colorful notes followed, beginning to assault the flock of birds!
Ding, ding, ding!
The clash of the birds with the notes produced a series of collisions that sounded like the tapping on the finest stemmed glass, crisp and pleasant!
For half a second, their gazes locked as the silver eyes of Luna and the blue eyes of Astoria met. During that time, both girls' summoned creatures were already depleted in fierce clashes!
But in terms of results, Astoria had the upper hand.
She had successfully blocked the dangerous first round of attacks from Cedric and Luna!
This turned the tide of the situation!
Neville Romperton, wielding a silver sword, went to block Brescia and Nott alone, while Draco and Pansy had already approached the battlefield!
Draco glared hatefully at Romperton, who was blocking the path of Brescia and Nott. He had to admit that the timid fool had changed a bit; he wanted to rush up and take out Romperton first, but his judgment of the situation kept him in check. He had to help Astoria first, get her out of the situation where she was being targeted by everyone!
After the end of the first round of offense and defense between Astoria, Cedric, and Luna, both sides immediately revealed their different strategic intentions.
With a quick glance at the approaching Draco and Pansy, Astoria immediately changed her position. She narrowly dodged Cedric's disarming curse, which was cast with a pre-judgment, and rolled to her right to form an attacking angle with Draco and Pansy who came to support her!
Her movements were noticed by Cedric and Luna, who immediately understood her intention.
"I will hold back Malfoy and Parkinson and resolve Greengrass as soon as possible!"
Cedric's face changed slightly, but he quickly displayed the bravery of a warrior. He waved his wand and dispersed a spell. He moved away from Luna with urgency and advanced a few steps to stop Draco and Pansy.
Cedric was well aware that now, having always hidden their abilities, to attack Malfoy and the others was very unwise.
They did not expect Malfoy to be the first one to break into their encirclement. Their original plan was to ambush the brave team.
However, when Daphne Greengrass accidentally fell into their trap, they had no choice!
In the moment their eyes met, Cedric and Draco both saw determination in each other's eyes.
Neville faced Brescia and Nott, Cedric faced Draco and Pansy, and Luna faced Astoria. There was no room for retreat, as the fiercest battle began!
As the youngest competitors on the field, Luna and Astoria resembled two elegant 'summoners'.
Both of them were using their most proficient spells to counter each other.
Under Luna's cheerful, ethereal movements, a myriad of unconventional, luminous notes soared through the air like brilliant shooting stars, pressing down on Astoria from all directions. The dreamlike colors implied a deadly danger hidden within!
However, Astoria's performance was no slower than Luna's. She waved her wand like a conductor of an orchestra, and gray 'water streams' circled around her. At times, she would split a 'water stream' to attack Luna, and the determination in her eyes was touching!
Cedric's battle with Draco and Pansy was not as visually striking as the two girls', but it was undoubtedly the most dangerous!
Cedric's wand moved quickly, and fiery sparks constantly appeared in front of him, which were either dispersed or countered by his magical barrier.
Suddenly, among the chaotic 'spell rain', Pansy's malicious eyes flashed a spell that deviated from its intended direction. From its trajectory, it was clear that it could not hit Cedric.
Cedric's expression was stern. He suddenly raised his wand, casting a disarming spell to counter Pansy's magic.
The intention to secretly support Astoria by attacking Luna was thwarted, and Pansy was enraged. She increased her attack speed, making the fiery sparks in front of Cedric even more brilliant and blinding to his eyes. At the same time, Draco's wrist shook violently as a small, black venomous snake slithered into the withered leaves and quickly curved around Cedric.
Boom!
Cedric dodged several spells without warning with a sudden side flip and roll. As he was about to stand up, an explosion spell turned Draco's venomous snake into a wisp of green smoke!
"Digo!"
With the support being thwarted again, Draco's face turned livid, and he let out a roar of anger.
Facing Draco's rage, Cedric, who had just stood up, sweat dripping from his face, broke into a smile. With the tenacity of Hufflepuff, he had become an impenetrable wall, firmly protecting Luna!
